Best VPNs for Azerbaijan | Stay safe and unblock content online
With an Azerbaijan VPN, anybody in the country can bypass government-imposed censorship without being tracked by their ISP. This lets them escape the bubble of propaganda and censorship. In this article, we explain how to use a VPN service in Azerbaijan, while also recommending the most secure VPN services for Azeri citizens.
The best VPNs for Azerbaijan at a glance
Below you can take a quick look at the best VPNs for Azerbaijan. However, if you require more information, please scroll down for detailed summaries about each provider.
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Azerbaijan is a country that experiences severe online content restrictions as well as the institutionalized violation of user rights. The already dire situation recently deteriorated further, due to the political conflict with Armenia. The Azeri government is now censoring a growing number of websites – and citizens are turning to a VPN for Azerbaijan to regain their freedom.
With this in mind, it’s important that your VPN is reliable and provides watertight privacy, with good unblocking capabilities being a great bonus.
Best VPNs for Azerbaijan | In-depth summaries
Here we explore in more detail how each service best suits users in Azerbaijan. For more information about each provider, you can click through to its website, or check out our in-depth reviews.
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Why do you need a VPN for Azerbaijan?
The Azeri government works hard to block online content that it believes to be in conflict with local religious and moral standards. Online filtering is used to ensure that people can’t access pornography, for example. In addition to these blocks, the government engages in widespread censorship of social media sites, blogs, and any politically motivated content that is critical of the government.
Since 2017 a growing number of websites that promote dissenting political opinions have been restricted, and any content that promotes political opposition – or that exposes government corruption is quickly censored.
News sites like Arqument.az, Az24saat.org, Monitortv.info, and Xural.com have already been completely blocked for allegedly publishing defamatory stories about government officials, and it is becoming harder and harder for citizens to escape the self-censorship that occurs in the media due to the government’s authoritarian controls. Journalists are regularly pressured using the courts, which often act with impunity.
The arrest and prosecution of social media users have also been increasing – making it more and more dangerous to express dissenting opinions online.
To make things worse, clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan since July of 2020 are causing the nation to move to the brink of war, with levels of censorship being noted across the country as a consequence, and cyberattacks at the hands of Armenia being reported across services within the country. Check out our Armenia VPN page for information about using a VPN in the country.
As a result of the growing tensions, huge numbers of people in Azerbaijan have been turning to VPN services. VPN providers are reporting a doubling of VPN uptake in the country in 2020 alone, as citizens rush to gain this vital online privacy tool.
How does a VPN help in Azerbaijan?
A Virtual Private Network is an online tool that any Azeri citizen can use to gain privacy and freedom online. A VPN works by encrypting your web traffic so that your ISP, local network administrators, and the government are unable to track what you do online.
A VPN also lets you bypass any restrictions imposed by ISPs on behalf of the government. As a result, the VPN will let you access any website content that has been blocked in Azerbaijan.
By allowing you to conceal your IP address from the websites and online services you visit, a VPN will also let you circumvent geo-restrictions. As a result, you can stream BBC news on iPlayer, or access any restricted news sites, TV streams, or blogs that have been blocked by the Azeri government. All you have to do is connect to a server in a foreign country!
A VPN can also allow you to protect your identity online, by preventing the sites you visit from tracking your real IP address. This can allow you to post dissenting opinions anonymously without fear of it being traced back to you.
Are VPNs legal in Azerbaijan?
Yes. There are not currently any restrictions on the use of VPN services in Azerbaijan. This means that it is, currently, completely legal to own, install, and use a VPN in Azerbaijan.
Accessing content that has been blocked by the government could get you in trouble with the police, particularly if you are supportive of individuals or groups that are critical of the government, express dissenting opinions, or otherwise oppose the Azeri government.
This is why it is important to use a VPN that has strong encryption and advanced VPN security features such as a kill-switch, DNS leak protection, and obfuscation. These features will ensure that you can use the internet without being tracked by your ISP or the government, which ensures that whatever you do online remains private and will not cause you to be reprimanded and prosecuted.
What features does a VPN for Azerbaijan need?
Due to the tense political situation in Azerbaijan, it is vital for Azeri citizens to use trustworthy and reliable VPN services that will provide watertight privacy levels. There are dozens of VPNs on the market, and not every service is suitable for use in Azerbaijan.
In this guide, we have singled out the VPN services that are secure enough to bypass government restrictions in Azerbaijan. To explain exactly how we chose these VPN services, we have included the criteria we used to pick these providers below:
- Strong military-grade encryption to prevent anybody from monitoring your online habits
- A wide choice of international servers for bypassing local censorship and international geo-restrictions
- A kill-switch to prevent you from leaking unencrypted data to your ISP if the VPN connection fails
- Obfuscation (stealth mode) allows you to conceal your VPN use from your ISP and the government
- DNS leak protection to ensure that the VPN does not fail – putting your privacy at risk
- Fast servers capable of streaming in HD
- Apps for all platforms that are reliable and easy to use
- Value for money
Can I use a free VPN in Azerbaijan?
Although there are plenty of free VPNs available on the market, studies have revealed the vast majority of those free services to be a risk to your privacy. Free VPNs often have concerning privacy policies that allow them to harvest user data and sell it to third parties. These logs could also potentially be accessed by the government and used to reveal that you accessed content that had been blocked.
This is why it is essential not to use free VPNs that have weak encryption, dangerous privacy policies, or apps that suffer from critical leaks. Unfortunately, very few free VPNs exist that are actually safe to use.
The good news is that there are some trustworthy free VPN providers on the market that offer a limited free plan. While this is just a stripped-back version of their premium services, these VPNs can be used to access restricted content in an emergency, which is really good news if social media has been blocked, for example.
The free VPNs that we have recommended are all reliable services that will not put your data at risk. However, please bear in mind that those free services are limited in the following ways:
- Fewer server locations
- Slower connection speeds (bandwidth restrictions)
- Monthly usage limits (download restrictions)
To find out more about which free VPNs are safe to use, and to find out why you must stay away from 99% of free VPNs please follow the link above. Also, bear in mind that you can use any of the recommended VPNs for Azerbaijan in this article without risking your money – because they all have a 30-day money-back guarantee to let you test their service.
Conclusion
A VPN is one of the best ways to protect yourself on the internet. If you’re serious about your online privacy in Azerbaijan, then here’s a quick reminder of the best VPNs for Azerbaijan:
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Best VPNs for Azerbaijan – FAQs
[[post-object type=”accordion” question=”What to do if my VPN doesn’t work in Azerbaijan?” answer=”If your VPN address doesn’t change after connecting to a VPN and you’re still unable to access restricted websites in Azerbaijan, it probably means your VPN isn’t working. In that case, you can try picking another server or switching to another VPN altogether. To avoid this trouble, choose any of the VPNs from above that are proven to work in the country. ” /]]
[[post-object type=”accordion” question=”How can I ensure an uninterrupted VPN connection in Azerbaijan?” answer=”To ensure an uninterrupted VPN connection in Azerbaijan, select a VPN provider with a kill-switch and automatic reconnect features. A kill-switch is there to stop your internet traffic if your VPN connection inadvertently drops to protect you from data leaks, and an automatic reconnect feature is there to automatically re-establish your VPN connection ASAP. It also helps if a VPN you’ve chosen has a wide network of servers, so you always have a choice when reconnecting, and offers reliable 24/7 customer support to address any further connection concerns promptly.
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[[post-object type=”accordion” question=”How many devices can I connect to a VPN in Azerbaijan?” answer=”That depends on the specifications of your VPN. Most industry-leading VPNs allow simultaneous connections on more than five devices, and some, like Surfshark and Private Internet Access offer unlimited connections. So if you’re looking for an economical way to secure your whole household with a single subscription, they might be the perfect choice for you.” /]]
